Intrinsic justification in academic debate focuses on the essential characteristics of the terms in a topic. The technique, advocated by Ken Bahm, works with very few Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) topics. It gives rise to counterwarrants, which create more confusion than clarity, while its counterplans destroy affirmative grounds. In…

Discusses problems that arise through use of ironic language in arguments. Examines how and why irony is used in argumentation and, specifically, how an ironic tone is recognized. (AEW)

Analyzes judicial dissent as a backdrop for examining Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's dissenting opinion in the 1983 abortion decision. Highlights O'Connor's distinctive defense of personal credibility, emphasis on legal logic, and appeal for reversal of "Roe vs. Wade." Discusses how effectively the value appeals characteristic of judicial…

Argues for a theoretical distinction between the act of composing and the act of transcribing. Examines early writing sessions and note-making patterns of writers working with traditional and computer writing tools. Finds individual writers have distinctly different strategies when writing in different technological contexts. (KEH)

Considers how memory contributes to a writer's developing capacity for self-expression. Notes that modern applications of classical memory ("memoria verborum"/natural memory and "memoria rerum"/artificial memory) enable students to generate details that flesh out their texts as well as provide meaning to those texts. (MM)

Argues that the principles of stasis and kairos belie the reputation of classical rhetoric as obsessively individualistic and that they point toward a social constructionist foundation for classical rhetoric. These principles are strikingly similar; both act as controlling principles of rhetoric and determine both the generation and aim of…

Analyzes how one disciplinary design heuristic influenced the production of both a computer system and a specification text for the system to investigate how heuristics used for rhetorical invention and design might be related. Indicates that disciplinary heuristics and rhetorical topics overlap in design; however, the rhetorical character of…

There is a continuing need to investigate how contemporary students in schools are writing the word, and their world, beyond modernist parameters of the page. This article explores the online writing of a senior English world literature class, located in a Western Canadian city, as examined through a recent qualitative case study. Borrowing a 17th…

In this article we examine the development, over 1 year, of mathematical discourse communities in 2 eighth-grade mathematics classes in a suburban public middle school. The curriculum topics included probability, functions, graphing, data analysis, and pre-algebra. The 50 students were heterogeneously placed; most were from upper-middle-class…

For many students, public speaking is a communication apprehension inducing event. Others may enter the public speaking classroom as confident speakers but are restrictive in their approach to topic selection and alternative solution development. Both scenarios present a particular challenge for teachers who require students to present a variety…

The present study aims to explore the role of Chinese EFL learners' rhetorical strategy use in relation to their achievement in English writing in Taiwan. It has been argued that traditional Chinese text structures (indirect style) continue to influence the contemporary English writing of Chinese students in expository writing text. The manner of…

An investigation of the various ways the term "topos" is used in classical rhetoric reveals the limited range of invention strategies offered by academic discourse pedagogy. Donald Bartholmae's work on basic writing addresses the relationship of the commonplace to topical invention within academic discourse. Investigation of the history…

The central concepts from two rhetorical systems (the enthymeme in Aristotle's rhetoric and vivacity in George Campbell's) may be understood as the connection between speech act and ascension to belief. A review of the literature indicates a gap in the scholarly works seeking to compare and contrast the periods developed by D. Ehninger's systems…

In recent years, movement theorists have examined how rhetorical movements acquire legitimacy from established orders. The focus of past research has been the rhetorical dilemma of noninstitutional movements seeking recognition. David Zarefsky conceptualized establishment social movements as being rhetorically indistinguishable from…

I. A. Richards (most easily recognized as the "father" of New Criticism, but a true interdisciplinarian) bears re-examination in light of present discussions over the role and nature of rhetoric as a discipline. Richards' work has more to offer than is presently recognized. First, his work in toto exemplifies the capability and possible…